#LET'S GO Y'ALLLLL OOOOOH

[jimlingss]

The Colour of Our Voices [11]

Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12

➜ Words: 4.2k

➜ Genres: 98% Fluff, 2% Angst, Slice of Life, Broadway!AU

➜ Summary: He wasn’t supposed to hear. He wasn't supposed to know. But the instant Jimin came into your life and pulled the curtains back, you couldn't hide backstage anymore. You were no longer merely a phantom of the opera.

cr.

The phone rings.   It wakes you, deafeningly loud. It shakes you in the middle of your slumber. Usually, you’re the one dialing, but you don’t dwell. With one eye open, you grab your phone off the nightstand.   “Hello?”   “Hello?” The voice on the other line is unmistakable, and it’s a familiar husky timbre. You rise, leaning against the headboard and it has the covers shifting. “Y/N?”   “Taehyung?” Your voice is still thick with sleep, and he notices, chuckling.   “Sorry for waking you up.” There’s a pause. “Even though it’s noon.”   “S-Sorry. I usually don’t sleep in this late.”   “Why is he calling?” Jimin groans painfully. He turns around, the covers pulling along with him and he pouts in annoyance. He opens one eye. “How does he even have your number?”   “Shush!”   But Taehyung hears and laughs again. “Is that Jimin?”   It goes silent.   Then you come clean. “Yes.”   “Well that’s convenient timing. You should put me on speakerphone.”   You wonder what it is that he wants from the both of you, but you follow suit nonetheless, slumping down and holding the phone up in the air. “Hi, Taehyung,” Jimin huffs and drapes an arm over you as if the man on the other line could see.   He pulls you closer to his chest, and you muffle your yelp when he grazes against a ticklish spot. Jimin snuggles up to you, resting his forehead on your shoulder.   “Morning, Jimin.” You can practically hear the grin in his voice. “I wanted to talk to the two of you and see if you guys are interested in participating in the original production of When Summer Meets Winter.”   Your breath hitches. Your heart stops.   “...What?”   You pull yourself away from Jimin, sitting upright again. He sighs and sits as well, scratching his bedhead.   “What did you just say?”   You hold the phone closer to your lips, wondering if you heard right.   “Were...you guys interested in participating in our original production?”   Your brows furrow. You did that audition a week ago — but that was a shit show. Jimin is as confused as you are. “A-As an intern?”   “No, as an actress.” Taehyung laughs. “Unless you don’t want to.”   “No….no, I’d...love to. What?”   “Are you going to make me repeat myself a hundred more times, lady?” Taehyung laughs again. “Now, Jimin, we know you’re still in Les Mis for two more months and you’re performing almost every night, do you think you’d still be able to do this? We still have a long way to go and a lot of things to develop, so you can just come in during the morning and the day whenever possible. Our plan is to have the show hit Broadway in three months anyway.”   “No.” The boy beside you sleepily smiles. “I can manage.”   “Alright, just let me know if your schedule ever gets too hectic. We can definitely accommodate you.” There’s another pause. “So this is a definite yes from both of you, right?”   “Yes!” you both answer in union.   Taehyung chuckles. “Alright. I’ll text you of when and where we can meet to go over more details. Enjoy yourselves, you two, and congratulations.”   The call hangs up. You turn to Jimin, rendered speechless, hoping that you’re not still dreaming. And when he gives you an enormous grin, you know it’s real.   You leap into his arms, tackling him to the mattress and he giggles. “You did it.”   “We did it.” Tears prick at your eyes. You don’t know what this means, but you have a role — finally, a Broadway debut. Even if you end up as just a tree in the background, you’re so ecstatic, you could cry.   Jimin hears the crack in your voice and pats your back, nuzzling into you. “Congratulations, Y/N. You deserve it.” He plops a kiss at the top of your head.   You sit up again instantly, eyes wide. “We have to start practicing!”   “Practicing what?” The tired brunette giggles, watching you stumble upwards and nearly trip on the clothes tossed on the floor.    “I don’t know! Anything!” Before you leave to the bathroom, you turn around and bark at him, “Are you just going to lay there all day, Park Jimin? I never took you as a slacker!”   “Yes ma’am.” He smiles, gets up, and chases you into the shower. In the coming week, your simmering excitement overboils.

You’re confounded that your world could go so wrong and then so right. After the storm, there’s a rainbow, and you only hope it lasts.   The last time you entered the studio, you were stumbling down the stairs with your tail in between your legs. Now you get to take the elevator up to the third floor with no rush and no worries of having to balance coffee cups. You’re not holding a broom anymore. You don’t have to be yelled at. You made it.   “It’s nice to see you again.” Director Lee shakes your hand and offers a kind smile. You blink, supposing that you might be in heaven. “Y/N?”   “I-It’s nice to see you as well.” You clear your throat, snapping back to reality. Jimin stifles back a laugh at how dazed you are.   “This will be your first Broadway appearance, right? Well, officially anyway.”   “Y-Yes.”   “Welcome then.” He smiles and firmly shakes your hand. “We’re just getting settled today and we’ll be discussing what each role will be about, the vision that we have for this production, and the likes. Taehyung didn’t tell you what you would be playing, did he?”   “No.”   “He didn’t send you the script?”   “Um, no, not really.”   The director sighs in exhaustion, mumbling something about how ridiculous that kid is. “Well alright, that just makes things more exciting. Feel free to enter first. I have to go grab a coffee.”   You nod, and both you and Jimin exchange a look before entering the conference room. Lots of people are already there, mingling and some already seated. There are other actors and actresses, writers, and producers. You look over and someone’s eyes light up. They come running over instantly with a wide grin.   “Hey there, you two.”   You give Taehyung a warm embrace. “Thank you, thank you…”   “Hey, I had nothing to do with this. It was all you.” He smiles and pulls apart from you, giving a nod of acknowledgment to Jimin. “Hey, Chimster.”   He waves. “Afternoon. How are you?”   “Good. You two must be good too.” He gives a knowing smile and turns. “Anyways, take a seat.”   Taehyung gestures to the two main chairs, right beside the producer. You frown, but don’t hesitate for too long. The girl beside you is flipping pages of what should be the script, and as you sit, she looks up. Her long brunette hair cascades off her shoulders, long lashes fluttering. The young lady oozes with confidence. She’s stunning, bright eyed and with a pretty smile.   “Hi.” Her irises twinkle, floral dress fitting her form well. “I’m Yoo Yeonjeon. You must be Y/N.”   You open your mouth before closing it — she’s so beautiful that you’re entranced. She’s almost on the level of Kim Seokjin. Almost. “Yes, I am.” You shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” But the girl is still somehow familiar. “Have we met somewhere before…?”   “I don’t think so,” she hums. Yeonjeon is absolutely breathtaking — lips and cheeks naturally rosy, and you can’t even see her pores when you’re this close to her. “I’m sure I’d remember you.”   It must've been your imagination.   “I’m Park Jimin,” the boy beside you introduces himself, leaning forward so he can be seen.   The female giggles and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She reaches out to gently shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. We’ll be working together a lot from now on. So, I hope we can get along.”   You don’t know exactly what she means and neither does Jimin, but Yeonjeon quickly reads his confusion. “You’re...the main lead?”   “Pardon?” you ask again.   “You didn’t know?” she smiles at Jimin. “You play the main male lead and I’m the main female lead.” Yeonjeon turns to you, disposition friendly and warm. “You’re the antagonist.”   “The...antagonist?”   It’s peculiar. You’re not sure what that entails. You’re both nervous and thankful to hear that you’ve gotten such a big role right off the bat, but it’s certainly not the part you thought you’d get.    You skim through the script, finding an intriguing storyline before the meeting begins and your puzzlement begins to clear.   “So originally, the story of When Summer Meets Winter was based on an idea of some witch casting a curse of eternal winter on a kingdom and the story would be around all the inhabitants and their ways of survival. Since then, we’ve developed it a lot more.”   “This was all in thanks to casting Y/N,” the director says, straightforward. You lift your head, taken aback by the sudden credit given. He smiles at you. “I’m not sure if this is accurate at all, but you come across as a very...timid person. We think we can channel this to our advantage and make a very interesting villain. You can be a very sympathetic character.”   “Y-Yeah, that sounds great.” You nod and he does as well. For so long, you’ve stood in the corner of these meetings. Now you have a seat around the table, and you make sure to relish every moment, taking diligent notes and soaking in the atmosphere that you get to be a part of.   The director moves on to the next person, making wild gestures towards Jimin and startling him. “We want you to be a very vapid character in the very beginning. A very one dimensional hero. But as the musical progresses, your self-awareness grows, and that sort of puts you into an identity crisis. The more you become self-aware, the more miserable you become. So ultimately the character has to decide if he wants to live in this reality and be unhappy or be in a fantasy world and be blissful.”   He continues onto Yeonjeon, explaining that her character encapsulates the stereotypical female lead with a sad background that needs saving from. But she’s the most self-aware character in the musical, and her motivations are of self-preservation.   “We really want to go for a tone of a whimsical romance, but underneath that superficial layer is a horrible tragedy. A kind of fantasy rooted in a cynical reality. And each character has to decide which one that they want to exist in.”   It sounds amazing, well-thought-out, and many share that opinion with you. Jimin seems to become more enthused as time goes on and the other people around the table pitch in their own ideas on what they’d like to see.    You’re excited that your Broadway debut is with such an amazing storyline and crew.   “Slow music begins to play, there’s fog on the ground,” Taehyung reads, building up the tension carefully. “Only the right side of the stage is dimly illuminated. Hanna stumbles into the spotlight, looking around. She is equally amazed and horrified at the snow.”   You keep your eyes trained on the lines while trying to keep your hands from shaking with excitement. You’ve never participated in the first reading of a script before. Or any reading for that matter.    “What’s going on?” you read, brows furrowing as your voice becomes animated.   Taehyung continues, “She puts out her hand as snow begins to dust from the sky. Then she runs off. The townspeople flood in and the first song begins…”   As the reading of the first scene progresses, you take notes on what needs to adjust, how to convey certain portions, how you should sound and what your expressions should be like. And an hour later, the meeting ends. You meet the rest of the crew briefly and another date is set for the next reading.   You’ll have to work on memorizing your parts and interpreting the rest of the script.    “What do you think?” Jimin asks as you’re both walking down the street together.    “I’m excited. Nervous.”   “Why nervous?” He holds your hand, lacing your fingers together and giving a squeeze.   It makes you warmer on this winter afternoon. “Cause it’s my first time and it’s such an important role, I don’t want to mess up.”   “You won’t,” he reassures. “With your work ethic, you’ll probably memorize the script and the lyrics to your solo by tomorrow night.”   A laugh pulls from your chest and he stops for a second. “Don’t overwork yourself.”   “Speak for yourself,” you counter, “you have a show in four hours. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for it?”   “Yeah, I just want to walk you home first.” Jimin gives a sheepish, shy smile.   “What time are you coming home tonight?”   “Eleven or twelve.”   You hum, leaning your head on his shoulder as you both walk. “Make sure to eat before you go and you don’t have to rush to memorize the script. We can do that together.”   “Okay.” He smiles.    Things couldn’t get any more perfect than this. After so much pain and suffering, you finally get a taste of what you deserved all along, and you’re even happier that you aren’t alone to reap the benefits.   Jimin’s here to experience the joys with you.   //   For the weeks to come, you go to rehearsals diligently. There’s lots of time spent learning the songs, how to convey the right emotions from each scene that you have, memorizing the script, learning the dance routine that happens at certain parts. You don’t have to loiter at home, drink rosette, eat chocolate — not like that wasn’t amazing in itself, but it feels good to have something to do, something that you’re passionate about.   The studio becomes a place you’re happy to come to instead of a place you dread.    There are times you run into Director Kang and other members of the Phantom production, but they ignore you outright as if you were never there. Only Taeyeon spares a glance and a slight smile.   “Y/N!” Director Lee calls out, interrupting your train of thought, “Could you come here for a second?”   There’s lots of attention on you, more than you’re used to. You’re used to your name being called when something goes wrong, when you have to do coffee runs or to clean up spills — but now they ask for your input or for technicalities. It’s a better spotlight that you’re glad to be a part of.   “Has she even worked anywhere else?” But still you hear the whispers. “She doesn’t look like she knows what she’s doing half the time.”   “Isn’t she the ghost singer for Phantom?”   “Oh yeah, that. But isn’t that it? How did she land a main role already?”   “You tell me,” she murmurs. “Maybe she has...relations with the director.”   “Ew, gross. But I wouldn’t put it past her…”   Your hand tightens into a fist, wrinkling the hem of your sweater. But before you can turn around to say something, you’re interjected—   “Don’t you two have something better to do?” Yeonjeon scoffs with her arms crossed. “If you guys have something to say, then say it to her face! Don’t be a coward and spread rumours because you’re jealous.”   They open their mouths and then close it, glancing at you and becoming embarrassed. The girls curse and quickly walk away.   You smile at Yeonjeon. “Thank you.”   “It’s no problem. Just pisses me off when people think they’re better when they’re obviously not — they’re supporting actresses for a reason. If they were good, they would’ve taken the main role like us,” she says to you with a roll of her eyes. “But don’t mind them. People will always be jealous of the superior.”   You grin. That’s one way to look at it. “Did you take a look at The Collision of Seasons yet? It’s a duet for us.”   “Of course I’ve looked at it,” she laughs. “I’ve memorized the lyrics already. But I’m looking forward to actually getting to sing with you. It’s a good song.”   “It is! I just hope I can convey the emotions well.”   “Same here.” Yeonjeon offers a warm smile, her eyes practically glistening. “But we’ll work together on it. Anyways, are you free after this rehearsal? I’d love to grab a cup of coffee with you. It’ll improve our on-stage chemistry and I’d love to get to know each other better.”   “S-Sure!”   You’re ecstatic to have made a new friend since you don’t have a lot of them.   Not only is Yeonjeon beautiful, but she’s kind inside. She’s friendly and you find it easy to open up to her.    After a long day of rehearsals and eight hours of practice, it’s nice to warm up inside a cozy coffee shop, holding onto a steaming cup of coffee and letting the heat transfer to your freezing hands.    “So it’s true then?” Yeonjeon’s brow raises in amazement. “You were really the ghost singer? Wow. I would’ve never thought. That sounds...rough though.”   “It was. There are times it got pretty tough but I got through them.”   She sips her latte. “Honestly, I don’t think I could ever do it, so props to you. You’ve pretty much performed more than I have.”   “Well, it wasn’t a real performance,” you tell her sheepishly, shy under her excessive praise. “I was behind the curtain, so I still have a lot to learn about what it takes to be on stage.”   She waves her hand, dismissing your self-deprecation. “Oh, don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure you’re amazing. Good enough for the director to cast you with a main role.”   “I don’t know about that…”   Yeonjeon sips on her drinks again, her eyes pierced above the rim of her cup. She savours the taste and smacks her lips together. “Speaking of main roles, you look pretty close to Jimin. How long have you known each other for?”   You frown, trying to recall. “About a year now?”   “Wow. Yeah, I thought so. You guys looked pretty friendly with one another. Where’d you meet?”   “He’s actually my neighbor,” you confess, the memory making your heart flutter. “He moved in a year ago.”   “What a coincidence, but it makes sense.” Yeonjeon smiles at you, lashes batting. “Jimin was an intern in Phantom at some point too, right? I heard him talking about it once.”   “Oh yeah, he was, but he worked there for a shorter period of time than I did.”   “So you two must go way back then.” She nods and rests her chin in her palm, commenting, “He’s pretty cute. Have you ever thought about dating him?”   You feel your face heat. “A-Actually….we’re...dating right now….”   “Really?” She’s surprised, but smiles with twinkling eyes and snaps her fingers. “I knew it. You guys are such a good match!”   You laugh quietly. “It’s all relatively new, so we’re taking it pretty slow to see where it goes…”   “You guys have been dating for what three months?”   “More like three weeks,” you murmur. “Yeah, it’s pretty new, but I love him.” It takes a skipped heartbeat to realize what you’ve spilled — the special three words that you’ve been thinking about for so long — and your eyes grow wide at once. “Don’t tell him that. Not yet.”   She laughs. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” Yeonjeon leans in close, eyes glimmering. “Your secret’s safe with me.”   You smile, happy to have made a new friend. But now that you were talking about Jimin, it dawns on you that you miss him dearly.   //   “You missed me?”   “Course I did.” You pout.    You’re not even sure how he has the strength to take you on a walk with you this late at night and hasn’t instead succumbed to his exhaustion and knocked out on the sofa. Between rehearsals for the original production and performing for Les Mis, Jimin’s always running around, barely having time to even eat.    You feel bad that you can’t do anything to help him. His mornings, afternoons, and evenings are taken up by Broadway. But at least you know he loves it this way.   “Sorry.”   “Don’t be.” You frown at him. “If anything I’m sorry.”   “But we barely get to spend time together.”   “I’ll survive, Park. Always have and always will. Seeing you like this is enough for me.”   “Well it isn’t enough for me,” he says and it brings back the heat into your face. Jimin laughs at your reaction and soaks in the way your expression twists.   “Don’t tease me.”   “It’s hard not to.”   “Psh.” You shake your head, sighing lightly.   The street is lit with dim lamp posts. The night is calm. You listen to the sound of cars rushing past in the far-off roads. It’s not so noisy as it is soft background noise. This is the city that never sleeps, that seems to come alive at night. It’s a city that you’ve grown to both love and hate. But having Jimin’s company makes it all the better.    “Hey, Jimin.”   “Hmm?”   “I’m nervous,” you confide. It’s the first time you’re blurting out your truths to someone. “I’m worried that I won’t be able to perform in front of others. What if my stage fright comes back?”   It’s silent and he looks ahead. “I saw your audition tape, Y/N. Taehyung told me that he finally got to watch it and when I asked him, he showed me. You were…” Jimin inhales and meets your eyes. “Crazy good.”   “That wasn’t me trying.” You’re not being boastful, instead your tone is grievous. “It was one of the most impulsive things I’ve ever done.”   “Were you that passionate because you were upset with me?”   “No. There was just...a lot going on at that time. I didn’t even think they were taking me seriously.”   He hums a low note. “You were good, Y/N. So imagine what it’ll be like when it’s not impulsive. Imagine when you take it seriously. You’ll blow the rest of us out of the water. Easily.”   “You really think so?”   The corner of his lips quirk. “You can sing in front of me, can’t you?”   “Yeah, but you’re different.”   “How so?” Jimin’s smile turns cheeky, happily fishing for compliments and your affections.   You roll your eyes. “Because you’re Park Jimin. You’re not going to judge me negatively.”   “That’s right. And I���ll make sure no one else judges you negatively either.”   A light scoff falls out of you. “You can’t control that.”   “Not if I can help it.” He grins and your footsteps sync with one another’s. The back of your hand accidentally grazes against his. But before you can flinch away, he grabs it. Your palms clasp and you squeeze tenderly. “I was reading over the script and there’s a kissing part.”   “What about it?”   “Well, I’m gonna eventually have to kiss Yeonjeon, but I really don’t know how I want to do it yet,” he says and your brows raise. A sly smirk tugs onto Jimin’s features. “I was thinking you could be my perfect partner to practice on.”   “That’s all?”   “Also, I really want to kiss you before I kiss anyone else.”   You stop, turning to him. Jimin’s smiling, and you’re the one who closes the distance. You kiss away his shit-eating grin and it indeed melts against your mouth in turn to lock his lips better against yours. Jimin holds you by the waist, tilting his head to get a better angle. It’s soft and gentle to savour the moment. Soft smacking fills the quiet night and the crisp air doesn’t seem to lessen the heat in your body caused by Jimin.   While you don’t get to spend your days together and you’re not a person of bold professions, this is the way you can show him, the way the two of you can show that you cherish each other. It’s a way beyond both time and speech.   When you break apart, Jimin grins again. His eyes crinkle into crescent moons, much like the one hanging above your heads.   “I think I’m going to need to practice more.”   You laugh breathlessly.   //   Taehyung looks off his list and raises his eyes from the clipboard. It’s the first run through of the scenes, going over each of them slowly and following the director’s instructions and adjusting parts that anyone’s dissatisfied with.    “We’re going to go onto Y/N’s solo now.” The other steps to the side and the blonde assistant looks to you. “Ready, Y/N?”   You nod at Taehyung, stepping forward.   One step at a time.   One step at a time and you’ll overcome your stage fright. Your eyes flicker to Jimin’s in the mirror and he smiles warmly, giving a reassuring nod. With him here, you know you can overcome anything.   You begin, the notes pulling from your throat, and neither of you notice Yeonjeon who’s standing in the corner. No one pays any mind to the way her eyes are narrowed into slits, how they’re pinpointed onto Jimin’s profile, and the way one corner of her red stained lips curl.